Netivah Study Guide - Magdalene Circle

The Empress – Key 3 – Dalet ד - Gematria = 4Dalet signifies a door that is something that admits or bars, something throughwhich something or someone passes. Some say it represents the door of life, thewomb. The door represents protection, defense and safe-keeping. This relatesto the mode of consciousness connected to Dalet in that it has to do with personalsafety, self preservation, development of all that is useful to us. The door alsosuggests ingress and egress, motion in and motion out. Consider how thisrelates to the mind and the soul.It has a little bit of Bet (House) and a little bit of Gimel (Camel) because it is bothin and out – departure and returnThe mode of consciousness is sub consciousness and the subconsciousresponse to self-conscious suggestion and interpretation that determine whetherour ideas are wise or foolish. And Wisdom and Folly are the opposites assignedto Dalet by Kabbalists. The occult meanings of Dalet clearly point to the meaningof subconscious which has little or no power of inductive reasoning but has greatpower of deductive reasoning. Kabbalists call this Luminous Intelligence – thesubconscious can enlighten us from its deductions and lead us to safety of true knowledge.The Empress literally means “she who sits in order.” She is the feminine ruling power and consort of theEmperor (the next Tarot key). She is the warm mother goddess in contrast to the High Priestess who is thecold, virgin goddess. She is the number three, which is about multiplication, development, growth, unfoldment,and therefore expression. The three is the understanding, or looking forward, into what has been manifestedin contrast to two (wisdom) which looks back into the self knowledge of one (I AM). It is through growth thatyou are able to manifest with the Limitless Light.The background is a rich fertile garden (compare this to Key 1). In the background are cypress trees which aresacred to Venus. There is ripening wheat in the foreground which is sacred to Isis/Hathor/Ceres. She isMother Nature.The stream and pool in the background is the “stream” of consciousness. Consider the relationship to Key 2.The stream falling into the pool is subtly suggestive of the union of male and female modes of cosmic energy.Her yellow hair symbolizes radiant energy and the green myrtle in her hair, nature. (Consider the wreathes inthe other Keys) The meaning here is that reaching the subconscious is reaching nature.She wears a crown of 12 stars and the moon under her feet (like the woman in Revelations). The stars are 6pointed – meaning she has dominion over the laws of the Great World. And they also represent the zodiac.Where else have we seen 12 objects similarly? The moon is like the one under the High Priestess andrepresents primary powers of subconscious, but the Empress is the subconscious impregnated by seed ideas.She holds a heart shaped shield with a dove symbolizing the Holy Spirit. The necklace of pearls relate toVenus and the moon. Her scepter has a globe – showing that she has dominion over the physical world (asdoes our subconscious). At the top of the globe is a cross so that the ornament on the head of the scepter isan inverted symbol of Venus and femininity. Her seat is a stone bench representing the mineral world overwhich she also holds dominion through the subconscious.Meditate upon this card and consider the roses to the left of the Empress, the significance of the yellow cladfoot on the crescent moon and the red triangle on the white material at her breast.